'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
On Sunday night, Goldie, an Israeli-style falafel store in Philadelphia, became the site of pro-Palestinian protesters who gathered in front of it and chanted anti-Israeli slogans. In a now-viral video, it could be seen and heard that the group of protesters shouted:
“Goldie, Goldie, you can’t hide. We charge you with genocide.”
Besides, protesters also allegedly pasted “Free Palestine” and “This is genocide” posters on the store’s exterior, as per Whyy.
As soon as the clip surfaced on the internet, it sparked mass outrage, with netizens calling the act anti-Jewish. The White House also condemned the act as “a calling card of antisemitism,” while politicians like John Fetterman and Josh Shapiro also criticized the same.
For those uninitiated, Goldie is co-owned by Jewish and Israel-born chef Michael Solomonov, as per NBC.
“This is just mindless and counterproductive”: Internet puts pro-Palestinian protesters under fire for the Goldie march
On the night of December 3, Goldie in the Center City of Philadelphia saw a pro-Palestinian mob hold a demonstration in front of it. According to NBC reports, the protesters called out the falafel shop owner for the “genocide” going on in Gaza in the wake of the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
Co-owned by Jewish and American-Israeli chef and James Beard Award winner Michael Solomonov alongside businessman Steven Cook (also a Jew as per NBC Philadelphia), Goldie is one of the several food chains belonging to the Cook&Solo Group. It sells vegan, Israeli-style, fresh-to-order falafel, French fries, and tehina shakes, as per its official website.
According to The Guardian, Chef Solomonov first rose to fame in 2008 with his Israeli-style restaurant Zahav in the heart of Philadelphia, which has now expanded into a whole restaurant chain.
Since the video emerged online, it has garnered enough traction, with many condemning the act as antisemitic. Here are some of the reactions in this regard from the comment section of @thatJVG’s tweet on the same.
So far, the owners of the restaurant have not commented on the incident.
Apart from the mass outrage, the video also earned backlash from the White House on Monday. Spokesman Andrew Bates stated in this regard and called the demonstration an “antisemitic” and “completely unjustifiable” prejudice to “target restaurants that serve Israeli food over disagreements with Israeli policy.”
Bates further tagged the behavior as a “cruel and senseless double standard” and said that President Joe Biden stood “firmly against these kinds of undignified actions.”
Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Inquirer published an article that said that pro-Palestinian protesters led by the Philly Palestine Coalition did not just march outside Goldie but also across the entire Center City and University City on Sunday, demanding a permanent ceasefire instead of a temporary truce.
Last month, another Kosher restaurant co-owned by the Cook&Solo Group also saw a similar protest.
Since the start of the October 7 Israel-Palestine conflict, Goldie's owner has come under fire from pro-Palestinian activists for his association with Israeli institutions and pledging to donate 100 percent of his profits to a non-profit Israeli medical aid group.
It is noteworthy that claims have come up on social media that the Philly Palestine Coalition previously demanded the closure of the restaurant because of its reported link with the funding of the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF).
Recently, Jewish advocacy organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League, reported a rise in antisemitic threats and incidents across the USA.
Likewise, Muslim advocacy groups, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations, also stated a surge in Islamophobic activities, hate crimes, and growing bigotry in the country, targeting Palestinians, Arabs, and other Muslims.
According to reports from the Gaza Health Ministry obtained by the BBC, nearly 16,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the start of the conflict on October 7. Approximately 1,200 Israelis lost their lives, and 230 were taken hostage by Hamas.
